Lesson 4:?Using Tools to Simplify Deployment

There are some additional tools in Windows XP Professional that will help make your deployment of the operating system easier. These tools include the File and Transfer Wizard, the Disk Management snap-in, and Windows Installer and the .msi package file format.

After this lesson, you will be able to

• Use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard
• Use the Disk Management snap-in
• Understand how to manage applications using Windows Installer

Estimated lesson time: 60 minutes

Using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

Windows XP Professional provides the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard to simplify the task of moving data files and personal settings from your old computer to your new one. You don't have to configure all of your personal settings on your new computer because you can move your old settings, including display settings, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook Express options, dial-up connections, and your folder and taskbar options, to your new computer. The wizard also helps you move specific files and folders to your new computer as well.

Connecting Your Old and New Computers

The best way to connect your old computer to your new computer is to use a direct cable connection or a network.

To directly connect your computers using a cable, you must have the following items:

• An available COM port (serial port) on both computers
• A null modem cable long enough to connect the two computers

When you have connected your computers with a null modem cable, you are ready to run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

The best way to connect your old and new computers is with a network. To connect your computers and use a network, you must have the following items:

• A network interface card (NIC) or a universal serial bus (USB) network interface installed in both computers
• Network cables, and in most cases a hub, to connect the two computers

When you have connected your two computers with cables and a hub, you can use the Network Setup Wizard to set up your network.

After you have set up your network by running the Network Setup Wizard, or if both of your computers are part of a larger network, you are ready to run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

To open the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, do the following:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and point to System Tools.
2. Click Files And Settings Transfer Wizard.

   Windows XP Professional starts the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

3. In the Welcome To The Files And Settings Transfer Wizard page, click Next.

   The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard displays the What Computer Is This page, which has the following two options:

   • New Computer.??Select this option if you want to transfer your files and settings to this computer.
   • Old Computer.??Select this option if you want to transfer the files and settings on this computer to your new computer.
   The old computer can be running Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98SE, Microsoft Windows Me, Microsoft Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, or Windows XP (32-bit).
4. Select the Old Computer option and click Next.

   The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard displays the Select The Transfer Method page, which has the following three options:

   • Direct Cable.??A cable that connects your computer's serial ports.
   • Floppy Drive Or Other Removable Media.??Both computers must have the same type of drive.
   • Other.??You can save files and settings to any disk drive or folder on your computer.
   If you are saving the files and settings to your computer, you can click Browse to locate or create a new folder to hold the files and settings.
5. Select the appropriate option and click Next.

   The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard displays the What Do You Want To Transfer page, which has the following three options:

   • Settings Only.??A cable that connects your computer's serial ports.
     The following settings are transferred: Accessibility, Command Prompt Settings, Display Properties, Internet Explorer Settings, Microsoft Messenger, Microsoft NetMeeting, Mouse And Keyboard, MSN Explorer, Network Printer And Drives, Outlook Express, Regional Settings, Sounds And Multimedia, Taskbar Options, Windows Media Player, and Windows Movie Maker.
   • Files Only.??Both computers must have the same type of drive.
     The following folders are transferred: Desktop, Fonts, My Documents, My Pictures, Shared Desktop, and Shared Documents. The following files types are transferred: *.asf (Windows Media Audio/Video file), *.asx (Windows Media Audio/Video shortcut), *.AU (AU format sound), *.avi (video clip), *.cov (fax cover page file), *.cpe (fax cover page file), *.doc (WordPad document), *.eml (Internet e-mail message), *.m3u (M3U file), *.mid (MIDI sequence), *.midi (MIDI sequence), *.mp2 (Movie File MPEG), *.mp3 (MP3 Format Sound), *.mpa (Movie File MPEG), *.mpeg (Movie File MPEG), *.MSWMM (Windows Movie Maker Project), *.nws (Internet News Message), *.rft (Rich Text Format), *.snd (AU Sound Format), *.wav (Wave Sound), *.wm (Windows Media Audio/Video file), *.wma (Windows Media Audio file), *.wri (Write document).
   • Both Files And Settings.??You can save files and settings to any disk drive or folder on your computer. This is the default setting.
   You can select the Let Me Select A Custom List Of Files And Settings When I Click Next check box if you don't want all the default folders, file types, and settings to be transferred.
6. Select the appropriate option and click Next.

   Unless you select the Let Me Select A Custom List Of Files And Settings When I Click Next check box, the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard displays the Collection In Progress page.

   The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard displays the Completing The Collection Phase page.

   This page indicates any files and settings that the wizard could not collect. You must manually transfer these files and settings or they will not be transferred to your new computer.
7. Click Finish to complete the wizard on your old computer.
8. Move to your new computer and run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on it to complete the transfer of files and settings.

Using Disk Management

The Disk Management snap-in provides a central location for disk information and management tasks, such as creating and deleting partitions and volumes, formatting them with the file allocation table (FAT), FAT32, or NTFS file systems, and assigning drive letters to them. With the proper permissions you can manage disks locally and on remote computers. In addition to monitoring disk information, some of the other disk management tasks that you might need to perform include adding and removing hard disks and changing the disk storage type.

Setting Up a Hard Disk

Whether you are setting up the remaining free space on a hard disk on which you installed Windows XP Professional or setting up a new hard disk, you need to be aware of the tasks involved. Before you can store data on a new hard disk, you must perform the following tasks to prepare the disk:

1. Initialize the disk with a storage type.

   Initialization defines the fundamental structure of a hard disk. Windows XP Professional supports basic storage and dynamic storage. A physical disk can be either basic or dynamic; you can't use both storage types on one disk.

2. Create partitions on a basic disk or create volumes on a dynamic disk.
3. Format the disk. After you create a partition or volume, you must format it with the FAT, FAT32, or NTFS file system.

Understanding Basic Storage

The traditional industry standard is basic storage. It dictates the division of a hard disk into partitions. A partition is a portion of the disk that functions as a physically separate unit of storage. Windows XP Professional recognizes primary and extended partitions. A disk that is initialized for basic storage is called a basic disk. A basic disk can contain primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical drives (see Figure 19.4).

Figure 19.4??Basic and dynamic storage types

Because basic storage is the traditional industry standard, all versions of Microsoft Windows, Microsoft MS-DOS, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP support basic storage. For Windows XP Professional, basic storage is the default.

You can divide a basic disk into primary and extended partitions. Partitions function as physically separate storage units. Table 19.3 describes some of the characteristics of primary partitions and extended partitions.

Table 19.3??Primary and Extended Partitions

You create a partition by following these steps:

1. Select Disk Management in the Storage section of the Computer Management snap-in.
2. On the basic disk where you want to create the partition, right-click the unallocated space, then click New Partition.

   Disk Management starts the New Partition Wizard.

3. In the New Partition Wizard, click Next.
4. Select Primary Partition or Extended Partition.
5. Specify the size of the partition you want to create.
6. Assign a drive letter, assign a path, or select Do Not Assign A Drive Letter Or Drive Path and then click Next.
7. Select a file system to format the partition or select Do Not Format The Partition and then click Next.
8. Review the information displayed in the Completing The New Partition Wizard page and, if it is correct, click Finish to create the partition.

Understanding Dynamic Storage

Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional support dynamic storage, which is a standard that creates a single partition including the entire disk. A disk that you initialize for dynamic storage is a dynamic disk. You divide dynamic disks into volumes, which can consist of a portion, or portions, of one or more physical disks.

When you have converted a basic disk to dynamic storage, you can create Windows XP Professional volumes. Consider which among the following volume types best suit your needs for efficient use of disk space and performance.

• Simple volume.??Contains disk space from a single disk and is not fault tolerant.
• Spanned volume.??Includes disk space from multiple disks (up to 32). Windows XP Professional writes data to a spanned volume on the first disk, completely filling the space, and continues in this manner through each disk that you include in the spanned volume. These volumes are not fault tolerant. If any disk in a spanned volume fails, the data in the entire volume is lost.
• Striped volume.??Combines areas of free space from multiple hard disks (up to 32) into one logical volume. In a striped volume, Windows XP Professional optimizes performance by adding data to all disks at the same rate. If a disk in a striped volume fails, the data in the entire volume is lost.

Creating multiple partitions or volumes on a single hard disk allows you to efficiently organize data for tasks such as backing up. For example, create a partition for the operating system, one for applications, and one for data. When you back up your data, you can back up the entire data partition on a daily basis and only back up the application and operating system partitions on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Working with Simple Volumes

A simple volume contains disk space from a single disk. You can extend a simple volume to include unallocated space on the same disk. You can create a simple volume and format it with NTFS, FAT, or FAT32. You can extend a simple volume only if it is formatted with NTFS.

You can create a simple volume by following these steps:

1. Select Disk Management in the Storage section of the Computer Management snap-in.
2. On the dynamic disk where you want to create the volume, right-click the unallocated space, and then click New Volume.

   Disk Management starts the New Volume Wizard.

3. In the New Volume Wizard, click Next.
4. Click Simple Volume, and then follow the instructions on your screen.

To extend an NTFS simple volume, right-click the simple volume that you want to extend, click Extend Volume, and then follow the instructions on your screen. When you extend a simple volume to another disk, it becomes a spanned volume.

Working with Spanned Volumes

A spanned volume consists of disk space from multiple dynamic disks; spanned volumes enable you to combine the available free space on these disks. Spanned volumes can't be part of a striped volume and are not fault tolerant. Only NTFS-spanned volumes can be extended, and deleting any part of a spanned volume deletes the entire volume.

You can combine various-sized areas of free space from 2 to 32 dynamic disks into one large logical volume. Windows XP Professional organizes spanned volumes so that data is stored in the space on one disk until it is full, and then, starting at the beginning of the next disk, data is stored in the space on the second disk, and so forth.

You can extend existing spanned volumes formatted with NTFS by adding free space. Disk Management formats the new area without affecting any existing files on the original volume. You can't extend volumes formatted with FAT or FAT32 and you can't extend the system volume or a boot volume.

Working with Striped Volumes

Striped volumes offer the best performance of all the Windows XP Professional disk management strategies. In a striped volume, data is written evenly across all physical disks in 64-KB units. Because all the hard disks that belong to the striped volume perform the same functions as a single hard disk, Windows XP can issue and process concurrent I/O commands simultaneously on all hard disks. In this way, striped volumes can increase system I/O speed.

You create striped volumes by combining areas of free space from multiple disks (from 2 to 32) into one logical volume. With a striped volume, Windows writes data to multiple disks, similar to spanned volumes. However, on a striped volume, Windows XP writes files across all disks so that data is added to all disks at the same rate. Like spanned volumes, striped volumes don't provide fault tolerance. If a disk in a striped volume fails, the data in the entire volume is lost. You cannot extend striped volumes.

To create a striped volume, follow these steps:

1. In Disk Management, on the dynamic disk where you want to create the striped volume, right-click the unallocated space, and then click New Volume.

   Disk Management launches the New Volume Wizard.

2. In the New Volume Wizard, click Next.
3. Click Striped Volume, and then follow the instructions on your screen.

Adding Disks

When you install new disks in a computer running Windows XP Professional, they are added as basic storage. To add a new disk, install or attach the new physical disk (or disks), and then click Rescan Disks on the Action menu of the Disk Management snap-in. You must use Rescan Disks every time you remove or add a disk to a computer. You shouldn't need to restart the computer when you add a new disk. However, you might need to restart the computer if Disk Management doesn't detect the new disk after you run Rescan Disks.

Disk Management makes all aspects of managing disks easier. For example, once you have installed your new disk, on the Action menu, point to All Tasks to select the following options: Mark Partition As Active and Change Drive Letter And Paths, Format, or Properties. Table 19.4 describes the information displayed in the Properties dialog box for a disk.

Table 19.4??Tabs of the Properties Dialog Box for a Disk

Table 19.5 describes the information displayed in the Properties dialog box for a partition or volume.

Table 19.5??Tabs of the Properties Dialog Box for a Partition or Volume

Changing Storage Type

You can upgrade a disk from basic storage to dynamic storage at any time without loss of data. However, any disk to be upgraded must contain at least 1 MB of unallocated space for the upgrade to succeed. Before you upgrade disks, close any programs that are running on those disks.

Table 19.6 shows the results of converting a disk from basic storage to dynamic storage.

Table 19.6??Basic Disk and Dynamic Disk Organization

To upgrade a basic disk to a dynamic disk, in the Disk Management snap-in, right-click the basic disk that you want to upgrade, and then click Upgrade To Dynamic Disk. A wizard provides on-screen instructions. The upgrade process requires that you restart your computer when complete.

If you find it necessary to convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk, you must remove all volumes from the dynamic disk before you can change it to a basic disk. To convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk, right-click the dynamic disk, and then click Revert To Basic Disk.

Using Refresh and Rescan Disks

If you need to update the information displayed in Disk Management, you can use the Refresh and Rescan commands. The Refresh command updates the drive letter, file system, volume, and removable media information, and determines whether unreadable volumes are now readable. To update disk information, on the Action menu, click Refresh.

Rescan Disks updates hardware information. When Disk Management rescans disks, it scans all attached disks for disk configuration changes. It also updates information on removable media, CD-ROM drives, basic volumes, file systems, and drive letters. Rescanning disks can take several minutes, depending on the number of hardware devices installed. To update disk information, click the Action menu, and then click Rescan Disks.

Managing Disks on a Remote Computer

In a workgroup environment, you can manage disks on a remote computer running Windows XP Professional if you have the same account with the exact same password set up on both the local and remote computer.

To manage disks on a remote computer, open an empty Microsoft Management Console (MMC) console, add the Computer Management snap-in, and focus it on the remote console.

Using Windows Installer

Windows Installer and the .msi package file format simplify the installation and removal of software applications. If there is a problem during the installation of a software application or the installation fails, Windows Installer can restore or roll back the operating system to its original state. Windows Installer also reduces conflicts between applications by preventing the installation of an application from overwriting a dynamic-link library (DLL) used by another application. Windows Installer can determine if an application you installed using it has any missing or corrupted files and then can replace them to resolve the problem.

To preserve users' disk space, Windows Installer allows you to install only the essential files required to run an application. It supports the installation of application features on demand, which means that the first time a user accesses any feature not included in the minimal installation, the necessary files are automatically installed. Windows Installer allows you to configure unattended application installations and it supports both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.

Windows Installer supports Microsoft's new .NET technology. The .NET framework and the common language runtime allow developers to create write-once, compile-once, run anywhere applications. The .NET framework delivers code reuse, code specialization, resource management, multilanguage development, security, deployment, and administration. Windows Installer also provides software restriction policies that provide virus protection, including protection from Trojan horse viruses and worms propagated through e-mail and the Web.

Windows Installer is a core part of Intellimirror and a core component of the Windows Group Policy-based change and configuration management technology. Windows Installer has a client-side installer service, MSIEXEC.EXE, and a package .msi file. The installer service is an operating system service that allows the operating system to control the installation. Windows Installer uses the information stored in the package file to install the application.

This feature is used in a domain environment but it can also be configured for a workgroup environment. You can view how to configure Windows Installer Group Policy options for users in a workgroup environment if you click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and click Local Group Policy. In the Local Group Policy snap-in (see Figure 19.5), click Local Computer Policy\User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Installer.

Figure 19.5??Group Policy Windows Installer options for users

To configure Windows Installer Group Policy options for computers, in the Local Group Policy snap-in, click Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Installer.

To add, modify, or remove categories for applications to be managed, you must be a domain administrator or have equivalent rights.

Troubleshooting Windows Installer Packages

How you troubleshoot a Windows Installer package depends on the problem you are having. If a Windows Installer package doesn't install correctly, you need to determine if the package has become corrupted. To repair a corrupted Windows Installer package, use the Windows Installer repair option. Open a command prompt and type the following command:

msiexec /f[p][o][e][d][c[][a][u][m][s][v] {package|ProductCode}

For an explanation of the parameters used with the /f switch in the MSIEXEC.EXE command, see Table 19.7.

Table 19.7??Parameters for the /f Switch for MSIEXEC.EXE

There are several additional switches for the MSIEXEC.EXE command. These switches include the ones explained in Table 19.8. In this table, package is the name of the Windows Installer Package file and ProductCode is the globally unique identifier (GUID) of the Windows Installer package. For a complete listing of switches, see Help and Support Center.

Table 19.8??Switches for MSIEXEC.EXE

If the installation process stops before completing, either Windows Installer was unable to read the package or conditions on your computer prevented it from installing the application. Open Event Viewer and review the Application log.

Publishing and Installing Applications

Publishing an application does not install the application on users' computers and it does not place any shortcuts on users' desktops or Start menus. Published applications are stored in Active Directory and the application is available to users to install using Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.

Practice:?Upgrading a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk

In this practice, you upgrade a basic disk to a dynamic disk and then use Disk Management to verify that the disk is now using dynamic storage.

To upgrade a basic disk to a dynamic disk

1. Log on as Fred or with a user account that is a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.

   The Computer Management window appears.

3. In the console tree, if necessary, double-click Storage to expand it, and then click Disk Management.

   Notice that Disk 0's type is Basic.

4. In the lower right pane of the Computer Management window, right-click Disk 0, and then click Convert To Dynamic Disk.

   Disk Management displays the Convert To Dynamic Disk dialog box.

5. Ensure that Disk 0 is the only disk selected for upgrade, and then click OK.

   Disk Management displays the Disks To Convert dialog box.

6. Click Convert.

   Disk Management displays a Disk Management message box, indicating that after the upgrade, you will not be able to start other installed operating systems from any volume on these disks.

7. Click Yes to continue.

   Disk Management displays a Convert Disk To Dynamic message box, notifying you that any file systems on any of the disks to be upgraded will be dismounted.

8. Click Yes to continue.

   Disk Management displays a Caution message box, notifying you that the system will now restart.

9. Click OK.

   Your computer restarts.

To verify the conversion to a dynamic disk

1. Log on as Fred or with a user account that is a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
3. In the console tree, if necessary, double-click Storage to expand it, and then click Disk Management.

   Notice that the storage type of Disk 0 is Dynamic.

4. Close Disk Management and do not save the console settings.

Lesson Review

The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned the material presented in this lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, review the material in this lesson before moving on. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."

1. When do you use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard?
2. Which of the following statements are true for the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard? (Choose all answers that are correct.)
   1. You run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard only on your old computer.
   2. You must run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on both your old and your new computers.
   3. You can use a standard 25-pin cable to connect the parallel ports on your old and new computers to run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
   4. You can use serial ports to directly connect your old and new computers to run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
3. Which of the following statements are true for a disk that uses dynamic storage? (Choose all answers that are correct.)
   1. The system partition for Windows NT is never on a dynamic disk.
   2. A dynamic disk can be partitioned into four primary partitions or three primary partitions and one extended partition.
   3. The convert command allows you to convert a basic disk into a dynamic disk.
   4. A dynamic disk has a single partition that includes the entire disk.
4. How can Windows Installer help you minimize the amount of disk space taken up on a user's disk when you install a new application on that user's disk?
5. Which of the following statements about publishing and installing applications are correct? (Choose all answers that are correct.)
   1. Applications can be published to users or to computers.
   2. Publishing an application installs the application on the users' computers, but it does not place any shortcuts on the users' desktops or Start menus.
   3. Publishing an application does not install the application on the users' computers.
   4. Published applications are stored in Active Directory and the application is available to users to install using Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.

Lesson Summary

• The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard simplifies the task of moving data files and personal settings from your old computer to your new one.
• The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard can move your display settings, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express options, dial-up connections, and your folder and taskbar options to your new computer.
• The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard allows you to connect your computers using a null modem cable connected to a serial port on each computer or with a network.
• The Disk Management snap-in provides a central location for disk information and management tasks, such as creating and deleting partitions and volumes; formatting them with the FAT, FAT32, or NTFS file systems; and assigning drive letters to them.
• The Disk Management snap-in provides a way to manage disks locally and on remote computers.
• A disk that is initialized for basic storage is called a basic disk and can contain primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical drives.
• A disk that is initialized for dynamic storage is a dynamic disk and can be divided into volumes, which can consist of a portion, or portions, of one or more physical disks.
• Windows Installer is a core part of Intellimirror and a core component of the Windows Group Policy-based change and configuration management technology.
• Windows Installer has a client-side installer service, MSIEXEC.EXE, which allows the operating system to control the installation.
• Windows Installer uses the information stored in the package file, an .msi file, to install the application.